Bridgewater wind vortex

sirjohn · Post by **sirjohn** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 12:20 am

Following the tragic accident yesterday, what are peoples thoughts on Bridgewater tower funneling the wind over Neville st bridge?IIRC it was always windy there before the tower was built.What modifications will they / can they do to address the issue?

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 8:52 am

Locomotive smoke deflectors mounted at 90 degrees to the vertical to funnel the wind upwards? ( or downwards to run turbines in a tunnel to power generators. The tunnel will have to emerge at Kirkstall....... )

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 8:56 am

There have already been modifications to the Water Lane junction due to the BP Vortex.BP is the only very tall building in the vicinity in what is a fairly expansive level plain even to the South West which is the predominant wind direction and usually where the strongest wind is from. I can't help but think that the north facing curved side helps funnel the wind and does add to what was already a windy spot.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 9:32 am

It makes you wonder if a similar condition, or worse, would have developed if the slender twin towers (30+ and 54 storeys) had been built on that relatively small area on Wellington Street.

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 10:02 am

The real answer to prevent the re-occurrence of the event is to make it illegal to operate high-sided goods vehicles when wind speeds exceed or are forecast to exceed a certain level.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 11:37 am

jim wrote: The real answer to prevent the re-occurrence of the event is to make it illegal to operate high-sided vehicles when wind speeds exceed or are forecast to exceed a certain level. Safest yes but unfortunately that would pretty much cripple the country. The vehicle involved was I believe an unladen curtain (Tarpaulin) sided vehicle. Most double decker buses would be taller than it.The M62 bridge over the Ouse at Goole as it becomes the Humber regularly imposes speed restrictions on high sided vehicles and at least the Forth and Humber bridges close to high sided vehicles in extreme conditions but I don't think you can close off a whole city and in this case speed presumably was minimal.

liits · Post by **liits** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 12:12 pm

Not Leeds, I know, but, the multi-coloured “art work” between the two buildings was erected to break the wind funnel / tunnel effect. The force of the wind howling between these two buildings regularly blew people off their feet. Maybe Bridgewater Place needs something similar. [The picture link actually works if you click on the red X, it just doesn't display on this page]

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 7:27 pm

tyke bhoy wrote: Safest yes but unfortunately that would pretty much cripple the country. The vehicle involved was I believe an unladen curtain (Tarpaulin) sided vehicle. Most double decker buses would be taller than it. Oops! Quite right, Tyke Bhoy. I had not meant to include double decker buses in my proposal. They are subject to considerably more stringent safety testing as P.S.V.s, and this includes a side-tilt test to check their stability against tipping, and they are very much less prone to the kind of overturning we see of high-sided goods vehicles every time winds exceed 45mph or so. I have amended my previous post accordingly.

Leeds Hippo · Post by **Leeds Hippo** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 10:07 pm

I was recently blown off my feet walking past one of the Opal (student) towers on Lovell Park road beside the new arena - and I'm quite heavy. The other Opal building (the highest building in Leeds centre - if not the tallest?) must have similar vortex problems.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sat 12 Mar, 2011 10:42 pm

Leeds Hippo wrote: I was recently blown off my feet walking past one of the Opal (student) towers on Lovell Park road beside the new arena - and I'm quite heavy. The other Opal building (the highest building in Leeds centre - if not the tallest?) must have similar vortex problems. Hippo, slight correction in I believe Opal I & II are on/just off Burley Road. You are correct about the location of Opal III and it is just off Lovell Park Road. I think the tall tower you actually refer to is the Plaza which is slightly smaller than BP even with the extra floors but is obviously at a higher ground level. Fortunately it is some distance from the directly nearest thoroughfare of Clay Pit Lane connected via a "service road". It is of course over the inner ring road but doesn't seem to have much effect on that